


Crime and Injustice

by xXUndertale_loverXx



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Anxiety Disorder, Emotional Hurt, Haphephobia, Homelessness, Hurt, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Imprisonment, Insomnia, M/M, Night Terrors, Nightmares, Panic Attacks, Paranoia, Past Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, Past Sexual Abuse, Past Verbal Abuse, Past Violence, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Poverty, Red's a poor sad bean, Social Anxiety, Some Fluff, cop, criminal, much angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-13
Updated: 2018-04-29
Packaged: 2019-02-01 20:21:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12712266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xXUndertale_loverXx/pseuds/xXUndertale_loverXx
Summary: Red's a homeless skeleton with no future who has to steal in order to survive. On a day like almost every day before that a cop spots him and gives him the fright of his life.





	1. Capture

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by Amortem-kun's Streetfell comic (Which you can find [here](https://amortem-kun.tumblr.com/). WARNING!!! IT'S A NSFW-BLOG!!!!! DO NOT GO THERE IF YOU'RE UNDER 18!!!!!!) 
> 
> I just wanted something like that where Edge and Red get along better.

"FREEZE!!!" A loud voice shouted. Red flinched and nearly dropped the watch he had stolen from a human a few moments earlier and quickly took off, expertly weaving through the crowd. His breathing grew ragged as he was chased with no mercy, the cop directly on his heels. The short skeleton ran into a dark alleyway which he knew everyone thought was a dead end. He latched onto the chain link fence and heaved his small body up, jumping down the other side. There was a loud crunch as blinding agony shot through his left ankle. Red risked a glance behind him and found a small relief in the fact that the cop had appearantly given up. He let out a small whimper and pulled himself up with the help of the fence, wincing when his left foot brushed the floor. He used the small amount of magic not being used to mend his ankle to levitate a thick branch, that was conviniently on the deserted street, to himself and supported himself with it, cursing the damned officer that had brought him this misery. Red limped back to his hideout, a big, abandoned two-story house and teleported upstairs into the nest of blankets he had made for himself on the upper floor. The floor creaked as he fell onto the soft surface with a yelp, wincing in pain. His ankle was throbbing with agony and he squeezed his eye sockets shut, curling in on himself with a whimper. He tried to reach the old cinnamon bunny that should be near but it was barely out of his reach and suddenly all the magic use overwhelmed the short skeleton and he was pulled down under.

 

 

_"Pathetic slut." A dreaded voice whispered to the side of his skull, licking his cheek bone. Red tried to struggle out of the taller's grasp, the other humping against his pelvis from behind. The short skeleton was pressed against the table and he let out a sob as his magic formed._

 

 

Red awoke with a loud gasp, shivering profusely. He could feel the coil around his soul that reminded him so much of another situation tighten its everlasting hold on the core of his being, squeezing it hard enough to bring tears to his eye sockets. He tried to bury his face in his hands but froze when he was met with resistance and heard something clank quietly. That was definitely the sound of chains. He glanced behind him and there stood someone in a cop uniform, holding his cuffed wrists firmly. The short skeleton's eye sockets widened in shock and he struggled to get out of their grasp, tears bubbling over and rolling down his cheek bones. It was of no use. He had been caught. Red curled in on himself, his eye lights vanishing, his whole stance screaming exhaustion. His soul flickered weakly, trying to convince him to keep going but there just wasn't enough magic left in him as the coil tightened further. He crumpled to the ground, unconscious a second later.


	2. Recognition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We (and by that I also mean Edge) get to see how fucked up Red is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you'll enjoy the second chapter which I can finally present you now! ^^
> 
> (It's late. Don't expect me to English well...)

"mmn..." Red grumbled, slowly opening his eye sockets. His ankle weirdly didn't hurt as badly as before, almost like he had been healed. There was a low humming sound, almost like the engine of a car. Even though he willed his eye lights to appear they stayed out, not having enough magic to glow. As a result his view was blurred and unfocused. He was dimly aware that he was in a car and looked forward to where the driver's seat was, squinting at the blue and white blur.

"Are you awake?" A familiar, gruff voice asked. Red flinched at the unexpected noise. The familiarity of the voice tickled at his mind but he couldn't push through the haze in his head to search for the voice. He resigned from trying to figure out who the person was.

"m-hm..." Red mumbled, even the murmur sounding weak.

"You look terrible. Do you need something to eat, to drink?" The cop asked. "If so in the bag lying next to you is a water bottle and a sandwich." He explained. Red looked to his left where a blue blur was standing. He blinked and tried to find the zipper, half blind as he was but he just couldn't make out anything. He weakly pawed at the bag. The short skeleton let out a sigh and slumped onto his seat, feeling tears sting at the corners of his eye sockets. He rubbed them away with his sleeve, sniffling quietly. He was going to be locked up in prison. He won't last a day with his one HP. The coil around his soul tightened, threatening to snap the weakly fluttering organ in two.

"Are you crying?" The cop asked worriedly. The car stopped moving after a few moments and the engine stopped, accompanied by the sounds of a door being opened, then closed and then he could hear the same sounds again, the cop sliding into the seat next to him. He could feel his soul being squeezed and scrunched his eye sockets shut in agony, pressing a hand against his sternum.

"What's wrong?" The cop asked, who the shorter could now identify as a skeleton. Red let out a heartbreaking sob, pressing himself into the door, trying to get as far away from the other skeleton as possible. The taller rummaged around in his bag, rustling accompanying his movements. Something hard was being pressed to his mouth and he opened up reflexively with a small whimper, taking the thing into his mouth. He suckled a bit and a liquid reached his thirsty soul. Water trickled down his non-existent throat and he couldn't help but close his eye sockets in relief, drinking slowly. The cool water calmed him down a bit but he still behaved like a frightened animal, wary of everything since he wasn't able to see. His soul calmed a bit, not enough to not hurt but enough to think a bit more clearly.

"Shh..." The tall skeleton soothed. He held a strange thing into his direction and Red stiffened, not able to make our what the thing was.

"It's a sandwich." The cop told him calmly, keeping a respectful distance. Red squinted suspiciously but the hunger won over his wariness and he snatched the sandwich from the other's grasp, holding it closely in fear that the other would take it away. When no such thing happened he started eating after a few more seconds, closing his eye sockets in content as his magic finally started recharging, his soul relaxing. His eye lights booted up slowly, appearing as white pinpricks in his eye sockets. He stared at the cop, the sandwich almost falling out of his hands.

"e... edge?" Red asked softly, staring at the tall skeleton in shock.

"How do you know my name?" Edge asked suspiciously. Red flinched, casting his eye lights downwards, nibbling on the sandwich nervously. After a few moments he looked up for a few seconds.

"we went to h-high school together..." Red whispered shakily, staring at his feet again. Edge only looked confused, trying to connect the malnourished, trembling skeleton in front of him with someone from his highschool. Suddenly it clicked and he let out a gasp.

"You're Red!" Edge exclaimed. Red nodded his head hesitantly, eating his sandwich in small bites.

"But weren't you rich and really outgoing? And then you withdrew and somehow became invisible..." Edge mused. Red felt tears sting at the corners of his eye sockets and pulled his hood up to hide his face.

"Are you okay?" Edge asked concerndly. Red shook his head faintly, noticing that he had finished his sandwich. The taller skeleton reached out to him, making him flinch hard. He stared at his former classmate with unmeasurable fear in his eye sockets which blanked from fright. He felt his soul constrict violently, snapping back into the state it was before which hurt twice as bad now that he had had a chance to relax a bit. Red scrunched his eye sockets shut, expecting a blow of some sort.

"Why are you...? Shit. I'm not going to hurt you." Edge reassured him. Red started trembling and pressed himself against the door harder, trying to escape.

"Calm down." Edge tried to assure him that he meant no harm, raising his hands in a placating manner, scooting back a bit to give the small skeleton his space. Red was breathing heavily, his magic swirling around him dangerously, ready to manifest at a moment's notice. He wanted to cry but he just didn't have enough energy left in his soul to maintain sadness. He'd only known indifference and panic for such a long time. The short skeleton let out a small whimper, curling in on himself before simply passing out from exhaustion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the chapter. If you did please leave me a Kudos or even a comment (yes. I like comments. Yes. Other artists too. (Thanks to everyone who ever wrote me a comment I really appreciate it)). Thanks for reading and I hope you have a nice day! ^^


	3. Friendship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red gets a new friend. ^^

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you'll enjoy the chapter! ^^

Red came to, laying on an incredibly soft surface. He didn't want to get up. Everything around him felt so nice. He hadn't felt this warm and comfortable in a long time. He was wrapped in a soft blanket and his soul buzzed comfortingly, trying to lull him back to sleep. The short skeleton shifted a bit, hearing something creak under him. He froze as he noticed that the creaking wasn't the one of the old wooden floor under him and his blankets had never been this soft. He snapped open his eye sockets, his hazy eye lights slowly focusing on a black pillow. A black blanket was wrapped around his frail, malnourished body which was still trembling under the undeniably warm blanket. He didn't have any black pillows or blankets... Red flinched slightly, his soul speeding up in panic, the coil around it tightening as he scanned the unfamiliar room carefully for any sign of life. A small ball of black fur was the thing his eye lights caught as the only thing moving. It slowly bobbed up and down as if breathing calmly. He felt briefly upset that he wasn't able to be relaxed like that. The ball of black fur slowly rose on its four small feet and stretched thoroughly, blinking at the small, scared skeleton with dark green, intelligent eyes. It was a black kitten, its ears twitching curiously. 

"Mew?" It meowed, slowly walking into his direction. Red's body locked up with anxiety, fearing that the feline was going to sink its claws into his bones, using his weakened state to defeat him. It appeared to be not more than a baby cat but he only had one HP to spare and one small scratch could turn him into nothing but a cloud of dust. He curled in on himself, hugging his knees close to shield his rapidly pounding soul. The kitten jumped onto the bed, closing in on the short skeleton. Red closed his eye sockets tightly, waiting for the claws and teeth that would end his miserable life.

 

"Purrr~" The small cat made an odd, weirdly soothing noise, pressing its wet nose against his left tibia insistently. Red startled at first but slowly relaxed, the coil around his soul loosening enough for him to take deeper breaths as he listened to the sound, it immediately calming him in a sense he couldn't quite grip. He was still shivering slightly but not nearly as much as before and slowly, tentatively reached out a hand to pet the kitten's small head, somehow feeling like it was okay. It made a soft rumbling noise, coaxing him to untense his aching bones and soul and lay down again. He curled around the small kitten loosely, giving it plenty of space to run away and laid a small, brittle, bony hand onto its small body. He smiled, wondering when he had done so the last time with really meaning it and closed his eye sockets to the thought that finally somebody didn't hate him at first sight.

 

"What do you want, you stupid cat?!" A loud voice shouted. Red's eye sockets shot up at light speed, making a small cracking noise as he startled awake. He winced but his eye lights formed quickly, staring in shock at the splintered bone pointed at the small kitten that had helped him. He moved without thinking, standing in front of the cat protectively in less than a second. The small skeleton nearly toppled over from using energy he didn't have to spare but glowered up at his captor threateningly.

"d-don't hu-hurt them." He whispered, even though he had tried to shout. He just didn't have enough magic. The small black kitten let out a small hiss as if backing up the short skeleton's threat. Edge sighed and let the bone dissipate, disappearing through the door. Red relaxed a bit, sitting down on the floor as he felt some nausea creep into him. He leaned against the frame of the bed and sighed quietly. Disaster avoided. The cat climbed into his lap and licked his hand encouragingly, thanking him for his bravery with a soft mew. He focused entirely on the little cat, scratching it behind its ear.

"I believe you are hungry?" Edge inquired unexpectedly, startling the short skeleton and the kitten. Red squinted suspiciously at the tall skeleton standing in the doorway with a plate of lasagna. He shook his head, even though his magic was practically begging for food. He was not going to accept food from a stranger. Well. They had known each other but people changed.... He had experienced that at first hand. His nose hole caught a delicious smell, his eye lights focusing on the alluring view of the absolute perfection that was the other's lasagna. Edge had always been a good cook. The taller frowned.

"You look extremely malnourished. You have to eat something." Edge reasoned. Red shook his head again, holding the small ball of black fur close to shield himself or the cat. He didn't really know which. If the food was not poisoned the other would want something from him for it. He didn't have anything on him except the kitten and he wasn't going to give them up so easily. They had consoled him so he won't backstab them.

"I'm just going to leave this plate here." Edge announced, putting the plate onto the table in the corner of the room. He sat down on the chair next to it, rubbing his face tiredly. Red watched warily, petting the little kitten absentmindedly.

"Is there anything you need?" Edge asked, eyeing the smaller skeleton worriedly. Red glanced at his tattered clothing and the off-grey tint his bones had taken on after not being washed for a long time. He shook his head mutely, not wanting to waste any energy with talking and besides... how could he know he wouldn't get punished for talking...

Edge let out a sigh and stood up, leaving the room. As soon as he was gone, Red curled up into a small ball, pulling the kitten to his ribcage, closing his eye sockets.

 

_"Hahaha! Look at your pathetic face! Absolutely hilarious!!! Did you think that you can fight back? That you can help anyone?! Pathetic!" A familiar voice spat at him. Red took the degrading treatment with a resigned sigh and closed his eye sockets, trying hard not to cry. As soon as he was dismissed he shuffled off to his room and locked the door, hiding under the bed._

 

Red woke with a gasp, tears stinging in his eye sockets. He wiped them away with a frown, cuddling the small ball of black fur close. He rolled out of the bed and crawled under it, taking the pillow and blanket with him. The carpeted floor was somehow more comfortable and safe than on top of the bed where he had felt extremely exposed. His little friend let out a small yawn, cuddling into his ribcage where his soul was radiating warmth, lulling the feline to sleep. Red pulled the blanket over them and closed his eye sockets, drifting off to sleep slowly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the chapter. If you did please leave me a Kudos or even a comment (yes. I like comments. Yes. Other artists too. (Thanks to everyone who ever wrote me a comment I really appreciate it)). Thanks for reading and I hope you have a nice day! ^^


	4. Culprit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red has a nightmare and we get insight to who hurt him. 
> 
> (Edge will probably have to wait a while to find that out...)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you'll enjoy the chapter! ^^

"Red? Where are you?!" A familiar voice called. The small skeleton let out a small grumble and pressed himself further against the wall, refusing to open his eye sockets as he tightened his hold on the fluffy ball of fur he was holding a bit. 

"RED!!!" Edge shouted loudly, panickedly. Red jumped up to tell the other to shut up, or rather tried to. His head banged onto the bed with a loud thump, pain shooting through his skull like lightning. He let out a pained groan, letting his head fall back onto the pillow. He curled into a small ball and let out a whimper, checking if his crack had gotten any larger or deeper. He faintly noticed the cat leaving him. Red felt some blood trickle down his skull but the crack was thankfully not bigger. He scrunched his eye sockets shut as white-hot pain cursed through his entire skull and rubbed the bone soothingly, hissing quietly.

"Red?" Edge asked. The small skeleton gazed into the voices direction, seeing the taller crouching down, looking at him funnily, as if trying not to laugh. Red crawled out of his hideout, feeling confused when instead of laughing Edge made a choked sound and grabbed his shoulders tightly. The small skeleton flinched hard, recoiling, trying to escape the other's grasp. A hand was placed on top of his skull and he winced hard, tears collecting in his eye sockets. The tranquilizing energy of healing magic forced him to relax, making him incredibly tired, the spiking pain fading into a dull thrum. Red crumpled in the taller's grasp, passing out in a haze of healing magic and stress-induced narcolepsy.

 

_Red opened his eye sockets, blinking blearily. He stared at a familiar face that made his marrow churn in his bones. Gaster. He tried to run away but his body only managed a small, weak twitch. He swallowed hard, staring at his creator with fear in his eyes._

_"How about we have some fun?" Gaster asked, his voice deep and breathy. He was in heat again. Red whimpered quietly, scrunching his eye sockets shut tightly, trying to block out what he was feeling._

 

"AAH!!!" Red screamed, thrashing wildly, his soul constricting violently. His breath came in panicked gasps and he was vaguely aware of a person standing in front of him, talking calmingly. He hiccuped quietly, curling in on himself, starting to cry. Someone was holding him but somehow it felt... safe. Red clung to the black blur, his body being wracked by violent sobs as his soul untensed enough for him to speak.

"h-he'll kill m-m-me..." Red choked out through his tears, closing his eye sockets tightly.

"Shh... Calm down..." Edge murmured. The shorter skeleton tried to obey, managing to calm himself down enough to stop his tears. He wiped his face, trying to get a moment to collect himself. Red let out a sigh, letting go of the other as his haphephobia kicked in, his soul constricting as his bones lit up like fire everywhere he was being touched.

"s-s-sorry...." Red whimpered, scooting away from the taller a bit. He hugged his pillow tightly, burying his face in it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the chapter. If you did please leave me a Kudos or even a comment (yes. I like comments. Yes. Other artists too. (Thanks to everyone who ever wrote me a comment I really appreciate it)). Thanks for reading and I hope you have a nice day! ^^


	5. "Help"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edge tries to get Red some "help" which the smaller skeleton obviously doesn't want but very clearly needs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you'll enjoy the chapter! ^^

Half a week later in which Red had nightmares at least two times a night, refused to be touched by anyone but his cat and didn't eat even a small bite of what Edge would give him, the taller skeleton decided something.

 

"Red! We're going to go somewhere! Come here!" Edge shouted. Red let out a small grumble as he shifted in his blanket nest under the bed, peering out of his safe space. The policeman had promised him to keep out from under the bed and even though the other could have been lying Red still felt a bit safer. He scooted outside, his bones a pale grey. He still hadn't washed himself and the neat pile of clothes in one corner of the room had been completely ignored. The breakfast from a few hours ago still stood in the exact same spot where Edge had put it, Red's paranoia preventing him from eating anything.

"Red. You could at least shower..." Edge whined, looking very concerned. The small skeleton shuddered as he remembered what showering entailed and shook his head mutely, waving his cat to him. Shadow had taken some of the food Edge gave them but Red was still sure that it was just a trap.

"We have to be somewhere soon. Put on a jacket and we'll go." Edge announced. Red gave a shaky nod. Seems like the taller wanted to show everyone who his new pet was. The small, quivering skeleton put on his old, tattered jacket. Out of the corner of his eye socket he swore he saw the policeman flinch. Edge walked out of the room and down some stairs to a door. Red shuffled behind him, carrying his Shadow like a baby.

"You can't take the cat." Edge told him when they were at the door. Red let out a small whimper as he crouched down and sat Shadow down a few steps away. His soul clenched needily, craving to hold the kitten and he looked as if he was about to cry but obediently shuffled after Edge, sliding into the back seat of a car. It wasn't a police car. Red buckled himself up with shaky hands, wondering where they were going to go.

 

The car stopped suddenly, the seat belt nearly strangling Red who let out a strained grunt. He fell back against the cushions, waiting for Edge to open his door. That jerk had locked him in with the child safety lock! The short skeleton let out a sigh. He couldn't even be mad at him. He was a criminal. Of course Edge had to lock him in. He lowered his head submissively, looking up again when his captor urged him to follow him. He hadn't even noticed that the door had been opened. Red unbuckled his seat belt clumsily, his tired mind not very helpful with hand-eye coordination.

"Red?" Edge asked, cutting through the fog in his head like a knife through butter. Red shook his skull in silent denial, not wanting to burden his captor with his problems and stood up, leaving the car. He buried his hands into the pockets of his ratty coat, closing his eye sockets for a second. He trudged after his former classmate, pulling his hood up to hide his face as his anxiety spiked.

 

Soon Red found himself in a small waiting room. He stood dumbfoundedly, never having been to one. When he saw Edge sit down he carefully lowered himself onto the edge of a seat, looking ready to bolt at a moment's notice. There were two seats between them, making it painfully obvious that Red didn't trust the taller skeleton at all. The short skeleton stared at the wall distractedly, counting the diplomas pinned there without really reading them, his eye lights flicking from the wall to the rest of the room a couple of times, a bead of nervous sweat rolling down the back of his skull as he saw that the only other person beside him and Edge was staring at him.

"Mr. Font!" A person called, shattering the suffocating silence in the waiting room. Edge rose from his seat, standing there for a second, waiting until Red stood up before he strode to the now-opened door. The shorter skeleton shuffled behind him, keeping his head down.

"Good afternoon." A grey cat monster in a dark green sweater greeted them, smiling brightly. They were of moderate hight, at least a head and a half taller than Red. The short skeleton sighed, rubbing his eye sockets tiredly.

"Afternoon, doctor Chey." Edge greeted. Red stayed silent, staring at his shoes, trying not to flinch too hard at the word 'doctor'. The cat pointed at a couch in the middle of the room, still wearing that annoying smile. It was as if they were taunting the skeleton with their happiness.

"What are you waiting for, young man?" The cat asked good-naturedly. Red froze up and looked at the cat monster.

"m-me?" He asked shakily, internally cursing his voice for not being steady.

"Yeah, you. Take a seat." The cat monster prompted, their right ear twitching for a second. Red cringed but moved to the couch, sitting down on it awkwardly.

"We're here to talk about your problem today." The cat announced. Red flinched.

"i..." He tried, swallowing heavily. "i dun have a-any pr-problems.." Red stammered, his voice shaky with anxiety.

"The first step to getting better is acceptance." The doctor explained. Red shook his head stubbornly. He was fine. He was just being wary because he had been kidnapped. That was normal. He squeezed his eye sockets shut and ignored every other attempt to get through to him, going through any kind of movement mechanically.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The cat got a name now! Hurray!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the chapter. If you did please leave me a Kudos or even a comment (yes. I like comments. Yes. Other artists too. (Thanks to everyone who ever wrote me a comment I really appreciate it)). Thanks for reading and I hope you have a nice day! ^^


	6. Improvement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get a lot worse and then a small bit better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you'll enjoy the chapter! ^^

"Red?" Edge asked for the third time. The only result the visit had given them had been a diagnosis on haphephobia. The short skeleton blinked, moving his eye lights to the tall skeleton in the driver's seat who was looking at him concerndly, not yet starting the engine.

"What happened?" Edge inquired. Red shook his head to show he didn't know and gave a slight shrug in case his captor couldn't understand him. Deeming the conversation finished he pulled his legs up to protect his soul and hugged them close, burying his skull into his knees.

"You have to eat something." Edge tried, sounding slightly exasperated. He really thought that maybe this would work... Red shook his head again. Even if the food wasn't poisoned he didn't deserve it. He doesn't deserve anything and still he greedily takes so much. He took a whole room! The short skeleton felt his body tremble consistently. He peered outside, seeing an establishment and suddenly Red's eye lights were glued to it. 'Grillby's' read the small neon sign. The bar he had been going to every Saturday when he had been 'normal'. He was aware that he had gone through change and wasn't 'normal' anymore. But what even was 'normal'? Nobody he ever asked could describe it to him.

"edge... w-what's the definition of n-no-normal?" Red asked quietly, staring at the bar longingly. It had been so long since he had been able to sink his fangs into a greasy burger that was absolutely overflowing with mustard. He let out a sigh, continuing to stare at the establishment. He somehow wanted his former best friend, the bartender, to come outside and yank him out of the car, shaking him and telling him the last few years of his life had only been a bad dream.

"Hm.. I don't know." Edge answered, sounding genuinely confused. The shorter skeleton let out a quiet huff. Seemed like he would never get a satisfying answer to that question.

"You seem to be really intrigued by that bar." Edge noticed. Red finally tore his gaze from the establishment and looked into the taller's eye sockets for a second before lowering his skull onto his knees again.

"was my refuge..." Red admitted quietly, closing his eye sockets, trying not to think about it too much. If he kept thinking about burgers the gnawing feeling of hunger that was raging through his soul would probably intensify.

"Do you want to eat something from there?" Edge asked. Red's eye sockets snapped open quickly and he moved his head to look at the taller so fast that his neck popped. He winced but kept eye contact.

"a b-burger drowned in m-mustard with fries..." He admitted. Edge shot him a smile and unlocked the doors, opening his.

"w-wait.. you're serious?" Red asked incredulously, his voice still so very quiet. Edge nodded and got out of the car, locking it from the outside. The short skeleton watched as he walked into the bar.

"a policeman walks into a bar to get a criminal a burger... sounds like a bad joke to me..." Red murmured, relaxing a bit now that he was alone. He sat normally, burying his hands into his jacket pockets. The short skeleton let out a sigh and closed his eye sockets, managing to doze off a little.

 

Someone was shaking him. Red blinked blearily, noticing that nobody was shaking him but somebody was shaking the car. Three humans surrounded the car, giving it shoves and laughing as he trembled, clearly terrified. The short skeleton curled in on himself and clutched at his skull, feeling tears collect in the corners of his eye sockets. Suddenly the shaking stopped and loud shouts could be heard. Red was still shivering, his eye sockets scrunched shut in fear as he awaited his doom. Whatever could beat three mean humans had to be stronger and meaner than them. The car doors unlocked and there was someone sitting next to him, talking to him, don't open your eyes it's easier that way you won't see the blow it'll come as a surprise you'll just die it's what you want anyways you're too much of a coward to take your own life you should be dead you don't deserve to live and leech off Edge you'll crumble to dust and nobody will care...

Red was faintly aware that someone was holding his hands tightly and he started thrashing, fighting against the hold, kicking at his assailant, his eye sockets still shut tightly. He was just so damn terrified.

"RED!!! STOP!!!!" Was the only thing that broke through to him. He stopped because even if he panicked he knew there was only one thing he was good at.

And that was obeying commands.

Red panted heavily, opening his eye sockets slightly. He glanced over at his attacker, noticing that it was Edge and that he looked fairly freaked out.

"Are you okay?" Edge asked, keeping his voice extra quiet. Red shook his head shakily, light tremors making his bones shake in fright. His eye lights fixated on a greasy paper bag and he focused on the smell that reminded him of Grillby and made him relax instantly. Edge seemed to notice the change and took out a greasy fry, cringing a bit. It was appearant that he despised grease. The tall skeleton held it out for Red carefully. The short skeleton took it and put it into his mouth. He chewed, his eye sockets slipping shut in bliss as he melted into a small puddle of satisfaction. He didn't even waste a thought wether the food was poisoned. Edge gave him the bag which the shorter quickly took, shooting him a sincere smile. 

"th-thank you." Red stammered, a bit confused as to why someone would be nice to him. Edge's face turned a bit red and he quickly looked away so the shorter couldn't be sure if it had only been his imagination. The taller left the car and slid into the driver's seat, igniting the engine and driving off while Red happily munched on his fries.

 

By the time Red had eaten the mountain of fries they were at Edge's home. He obediently followed the taller inside and ate his burger at the table with a plate. 

"Why did you eat the burger and fries but not anything I gave you?" Edge asked curiously. Red decided to answer truthfully as payment for the burger and fries.

"i was a... afraid it'd be a t-trap... i don't have an-anything on me to r.. repay you for it..." Red explained, fumbling with his hands nervously.

"Red. You don't need to repay me. I just want you to be happy." Edge explained. The shorter stared at him. Happiness... It had been so long since he had been allowed that. Red surged forward and hugged the taller tightly, tears dripping down his cheek bones. He scrunched his eye sockets shut tightly, clinging to his friend, letting everything he had kept bottled up out.

"i don't wanna be af-afraid anymore." He whimpered. Edge rubbed his spine soothingly, making the short skeleton relax slowly. Red opened his eye sockets and looked up at the taller, feeling a flurry of emotions cross his soul. Fear, hope, anxiety. He buried his face into the taller's turtleneck, breathing in his scent. He let out a sigh, his eye sockets slipping shut, his full stomach only serving to make him more tired. The stress of the long day combined with the overwhelming safety he felt worked like a soporific agent, making him drift off into a deep sleep quickly, before he could realise that Edge was touching him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the chapter. If you did please leave me a Kudos or even a comment (yes. I like comments. Yes. Other artists too. (Thanks to everyone who ever wrote me a comment I really appreciate it)). Thanks for reading and I hope you have a nice day! ^^


	7. Problems

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edge finally manages to get Red to talk about his problems. Only briefly but still. 
> 
> There is some bonding in this gigantic angst chapter too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you'll enjoy the chapter! ^^

"Red?" A familiar voice asked. The short skeleton opened his eye sockets slowly, looking at the source of the voice blearily. Edge was sitting next to him on the couch, holding out a plate of pancakes to him. Red's mouth instantly watered. If there was any breakfast he loved it was pancakes. He still hesitated for a few moments before tentatively taking the plate and a fork, placing the dish on his lap after he sat up. Shadow jumped onto the couch, striding towards him. She sat down next to the short skeleton, pressing her head against his femur bone. Red's teeth quirked up into a smile as he relaxed into the couch cushions. He started eating, petting his cat occasionally.

After a few minutes Red placed his empty plate onto the coffee table, letting out a sigh.

"If you don't mind me asking. Why do you have haphephobia?" Edge inquired quietly, his voice both curious and worried. Red felt a full-body shiver run through him and glanced over to the other, taking a deep breath.

"i can't talk ab-about the reasons but i can tell you everything that's wr-wrong with me..." Red explained, his voice a bit shaky.

"That's fine. Just try talking about anything. It usually helps." Edge explained. Red nodded and scratched at his left hand nervously, some of his scars starting to itch. He winced when he felt a small junk of dust get stuck in his phalangeal joints and unconsciously tried to pry it out, staring at the wall.

"hap-haphephobia is not my only problem... i have high-degree anxiety, de-depression and stress-induced narcolepsy. sorry f-for conking out on you earlier... sometimes when it gets too much i just get really tired and have to either find a safe and comfortable place to sleep soon or i'll just fall asleep standing." Red explained, closing his eye sockets for a second.

"don't ask about my past under all circumstances. i'm okay right now but i have no idea when i'll fall back into not trusting you at all..." He advised, his eye lights starting to dart around nervously.

"Okay. No asking about your past. Got it." Edge confirmed. The shorter felt a small sense of comfort that the other seemed to understand that perfectly fine.

"While you're not completely freaked out do you want to take a bath?" Edge asked, staring at the discoloured bones the other had. There had to be gigantic amounts of dirt on those grey bones. Red shuddered and shook his head, looking at him in fear.

"Can you explain to me why not?" Edge asked worriedly. Red's eye sockets blanked, the small pinpricks of light vanishing as he stared at the wall emptily.

"he'd drag me to the bathtub and hold my skull under water, long enough for me to pass out from suffocation. my soul turned paler and became weaker with every attempt..." Red thought, trembling. His eye lights appeared again and he stared ahead, blinking a bit.

"T-that's horrible..." Edge breathed. The shorter skeleton flinched, noticing he had spoken aloud. Shadow let out a small mew and put her tiny paws onto his ribcage, staring up at him comfortingly. The tall skeleton next to him held his hand out for him to take. Red didn't hesitate, remembering how wonderful it had felt to touch Edge before, and quickly took the hand, squeezing it tightly. He squeezed his eye sockets shut, curling in on himself, letting out a small whimper. Damn haphephobia...

"i-i'll go wash myself up..." Red mumbled, his voice shaky and distangled his hand from the other's. He laid Shadow onto the couch and stood up, walking to the bathroom unsteadily, his mind a haze of pain. The short skeleton stumbled and fell flat onto the floor, gasping in pain. He had probably cracked one of his kneecaps again. He stayed there a few seconds to collect himself before standing up again, his patella thrumming in pain. His knees buckled but two hands were there to hold him up, steadying him in a gentle hold.

"What's wrong?!" An alarmed voice asked. Red glanced up, looking at Edge who seemed to be really worried.

"j-jus' a lil sh-shaky..." Red replied, a shiver running through his whole body.

"p-please let me go..." He stammered, his eye lights flickering, almost going out. Edge nodded but kept a firm hold on the shorter's hand, probably to keep him upright. Red was kind of thankful for that, even though his mind screamed at him to push the other away. The taller helped him to reach the bathroom and sat him down on the toilet, drawing a bath for him. They waited together for the bathtub to be filled, Red scratching his left lower arm nervously. He could feel Edge stare at him.

Edge turned off the faucet, staring at him expectantly. Red stared back, confused what the other wanted from him.

"Are you not going to take off your clothes?" He asked at last. Red flinched hard, staring at the taller in fear. He wanted him to.... but he only took off his clothes when... The shorter's eye sockets blanked in an obvious sign of distress and he let out a small whimper as his mind was swarmed with the possibilities, ranging from a misunderstanding to outright rape. He trembled and pulled his knees up, clutching them close to protect his soul.

"Y-you don't have to! You can always keep them on. Shit.... Red. Please I didn't mean it, calm down." Edge rambled. Red shivered, his coherent thought trying to tell his screaming anxiety that everything was okay, that it had only been a misunderstanding but his more primal part won over, his sharp, quick gasps doing nothing to provide his flickering, quickly dimming soul with oxygen and suddenly there were arms around him, pressing him close to a warm body. He pawed weakly at his assailant's ribcage, trying to push them away but it did nothing to deter the other monster, comforting waves of magic wafting in the air around him. His affection-starved soul snatched up every little bit of the comfort, love and concern for him, glowing a little brighter. His breathing slowly evened out, transforming into deep, long breaths as he slowly relaxed in the other's hold.

Red let out a sigh as his panic was finally reduced to normal levels, cuddling into Edge a bit, allowing himself to find comfort for a few moments.

"th-thanks... whatever you're do-doing when i'm panicking works..." Red stuttered anxiously, scratching his left wrist unconsciously.

"That's good to hear." Edge responded, picking Red up. He placed him inside the bathtub. The short skeleton sighed in relief as he was surrounded by warm water. Warm water reminded him of good times that were long since gone, where two caring hands washed him, held him... Edge rubbed his skull in gentle, soothing circles with a soft, wet sponge. Red slipped out of his jacket, hanging the wet article of clothing over the rim of the bathtub. He suppressed to scratch his itching, scar covered arms, holding them up a bit for the taller to clean. The latter sucked in a breath at seeing the damage but hummed thankfully as he took the right arm, the new position making his work that more easy. The short skeleton closed his eye sockets, humming appreciatively as the weeks of dirt and grime were wiped away. Red started making an unconscious rumbling noise, one he only ever remembered making around his mom and Grillby. Edge stopped for a few seconds.

"Are you... purring?" Edge asked quietly. The shorter immediately stopped making the sound, his cheek bones flushing a bright red. Was he really purring?

"You're really cute sometimes, Red." Edge murmured, continuing to clean the shorter skeleton. Red let out a small whine of protest, his face flushing even darker. He looked away, pouting. The taller let out a chuckle, using the sponge to wipe the dirt off his lower leg bones which were exposed by his shorts. Red hummed happily, closing his eye sockets as the rythmic motions soothed his anxiety. He could stay like that forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the chapter. If you did please leave me a Kudos or even a comment (yes. I like comments. Yes. Other artists too. (Thanks to everyone who ever wrote me a comment I really appreciate it)). Thanks for reading and I hope you have a nice day! ^^

**Author's Note:**

> This work will not be posted consistently. It is one of three works that will be uploaded if you, the reader, vote for it.  
> You can find the rules [here](https://xundertaleloverx.tumblr.com) on my Tumblr and [here](https://strawpoll.com/gsxf9s9k) is the link to the poll.


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